Metallica's Reviews
...And Justice For All (Average Rating: 9.18 out of 10)
Justice is Served, Metallica's Best Album..... (Rated this album with 10 out of 10)
Reviewed by
Will Culp
from Greenville, South Carolina
...And Justice For All(1988). Metallica's Fourth Album, and the First to Feature Jason Newsted on Bass.After the death of long-time bassist Cliff Burton, Metallica was considering calling it a day and going their seperate ways, but luckily they stayed together, and recorded what today would be known as ...And Justice For All. It was Metallica's most complex, exploring the apocalyptic lyrical portrait of a society in decay, and it further deepened Metallica's skill for progressive compositions, with dense webs of guitar showmanship and harmonized leads. In turn, ...And Justice For All is Metallica's most realized album, where their technical mastery was pushed to the brink, with Lar's strongest drumming this side of Master Of Puppets, Hetfield's most inspired vocals and lyrics of his career, and Hammett's guitar mastery, which he never equalled from this album. Upon its release in 1988, ...And Justice For All, backed up by Metallica's ever-growing fanbase(Which would explode upon the release of The Black Album), pushed ...And Justice For All to #6 on the Billboard Charts, unthinkable for Metallica at the time. By 1989, the single "One" and the resulting video were in heavy rotation on MTV, and that thrusted "One", one of the most unlikely singles ever, to #35 on Billboard Charts, and Metallica's fans grew by the truckloads. Their last true Thrash album, ...And Justice For All stands as a masterpiece, unparalleled today as Metal's Greatest Album(To Me), and second only to Rush's Moving Pictures as the Best Album Ever. Read on to find out why this is a masterpiece. Track Ratings- Blackened- "Blackened" tells the story of the destruction of nature, and it's pure Thrash Metal at its best. From start to finish, Hammett and Lars shell out masterful playing, creating a beat that screams "Death", almost as the song would leave you to believe. Hetfield's vocals are top-notch, and the chorus is classic! The musical interlude is pure heaven, and "Blackened" stands as one of the album's best! ...And Justice For All- A 9-Minute Opus, Metallica never got more progressive than this. The sweet rythm guitar playing entertwined with Hammett's sultry guitar riff create an amazing affect, and Lars truly shows he's a masterful drummer. Great musicianship throughout, and some of the best instrument playing you'll ever hear. Creepy vocals by Hetfield, and a Thrash-y chorus. Eye of the Beholder- Pure Heavy Metal at its best! Hammett's doomy riff, along with Hetfield's pounding and sneering vocals, portray a sense of doom throughout. Great lyrics and a killer chorus too, along with 2 SOLOS by Hammett! One- There can only be one, and "One" is it. Metallica's best song, "One" is a chore to describe. A heartpiercing ballad about a wounded soldier who wishes to die, "One" is truly a tear-jerker. It starts off with Machine Gun fire, but soon reverts to a slightly medieval rythm guitar riff, a beautiful sound echoing to minstrels of yore. Entertwined with Hetfield's vocals, probably his best ever, their sung with a vigor not heard anywhere else. Towards the end, the song takes a dark turn, with Hetfield screaming bloody murder, wishing of his own death. Combined with Hammett's incredible riff, this makes for a very convincing song. Incredible musicianship, and Metallica is at their peak here. Amazing solo! The Shortest Straw- A Thrash Classic! Hammett's riff echoes of Master of Puppet's, and Hetfield's vocals come out as fast as Hammett's riff, making for some very fast Heavy Metal. Great chorus, and a solo that makes me think of Randy Rhoads. Bliss! Harvester Of Sorrow- One of the album's hardest, Harvester of Sorrow combines the skills of Hammett and Ulrich to create a sinister beat, along with Hetfield's vocals and lyrics giving the listener a sense of impending death. Great song about the Grim Reaper! REALLY AWESOME CHORUS! The Frayed Ends Of Sanity- One of the album's darkest songs, this song starts off with a (slightly) evil sounding noise(hard to describe) along with Hammett's guitar riff, but then Hetfield's vocals take over, singing about slowly going insane. Great chorus, and truly a Thrash masterpiece. To Live Is To Die- Almost the best song, To Live Is To Die is Metallica's best instrumental, encompassing the beautiful "Call of the Ktulu" and "Orion". Starts off with a medieval sounding acoustic guitar(Like "One"), but soon Hammett steals the show with his menacing riff. Lars and Hammett stretch their artistic prowess to the brink here, and you get 9 Minutes of pure bliss listening to them thrash it out. Beautiful! Dyer's Eve- A Perfect ending to the album. Dyer's Eve is a song that speaks to anyone with overprotective parents. A REALLY Fast song, Dyer's Eve explodes out of the speakers with Hammett and Lar's feverpitch instrument playing, and Hetfield's vocals match them easily! A THRASH CLASSIC, and one of the best songs!PERFECT END~! Overall, ...And Justice For All is a modern classic, and worthy of the throne of the Best Metal Album Ever! Although people complain about the production, do not listen to them! You may not be able to hear the bass well, but what really matters(Drumming and Lead Guitar), are as pronounced as can be, and Hetfield's vocals are his best ever! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! EVERYBODY (Even You!) SHOULD OWN THIS ALBUM, AND YOUR NEIGHBOR TOO! IT'S NOT AS DARK AS I MIGHT MAKE IT SOUND, TRUST ME! PURE BLISS FROM START TO FINISH! Also Recommended- Master of Puppets- Metallica
Appetite For Destruction- Guns N Roses
Rust In Peace- Megadeth Thanks For Reading!
Buy this album on Amazon at $13.99
|
